Challenge Two: Pain de Mie

Ala,

So here it is challenge two: the pain de mie A.K.A the everday loaf. Same method as the white dough but with the tasty addition of butter and milk. I am getting used to the new working the dough method, which I have found has the added bonus of an upper arm workout! Of course, this could lead to thinner arms, yet, with the increased intake of bread it just means that its all on the even keel!

I was instructed not to let the loaf prove over the loaf tin by placing a baking tray over the tins while they were prooving. Which is why the loaf resembles a brick, albeit a delicious brick. I am not sure if it is the british way but personally I prefer big bouncy loafs that spill out in all directions.

As per the suggestion I attempted a Croque Monsieur with the bread.

How to make Croque Monsieur:

Ingredients 
(serves 4 as starter/lunch. serves 2 as main with frites)

8 slices of bread
1 tbsp butter 
1 tbsp self-raising flour
150ml of milk - I didnt have a jug so I used a champagne flute which I am told by the boy is approx 150ml- he has his uses!
good quality ham
Cheese to top


Make bechamel sauce: 

1.melt butter in a pan, dont let it colour or it will have a nutty taste. 

2. add the flour and mix into a paste- use a wooden spoon and save your pan!

3. Slowly add the milk and keep stirring until the milk has goen and you have a smooth silky sauce

4. you can a cheese to the sauce if you are feeling naughty and a pinch of nutmeg if you have it.


assembly:

layou the bread onto a baking tray. Top one side with a thin layer of bechamel and add ham. Make it into a sandwich, then add a thicker layer of bechamel to the top of the sandwich and top with cheese. Bake in a preheated oven for 12-15mins at 200


Enjoy!

Polly x